Joel Embiid

Itís been more than two years in the making, but it appears Embiid is finally ready to make his NBA debut. Following a spectacular freshman season at Kansas in which he elicited Hakeem Olajuwon comparisons, Embiid was selected No. 3 overall by the 76ers in the 2014 NBA Draft...

Undergoing foot surgery a week prior to the 2014 NBA Draft, Joel Embiid was selected third overall by the 76ers and didn't play a single game last season. A second foot surgery for a navicular stress fracture this August will sideline him a second straight season. During his lone season at Kansas, Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.6 blocks in 23 minutes per game while shooting 63 percent from the field and 69 percent from the free-throw line. Embiid embarked on his journey to the NBA at the age of 17 when former teammate and current free agent Luc Mbah a Moute spotted him at a basketball camp. The healing in Embiid's foot has been stymied by his still growing and developing body. Also, Embiid reportedly skipped steps in the rehab process, and his weight became a concern during the middle of the season, drawing question marks about his commitment level. Navicular stress fractures have a long-standing history of drastically handicapping a player's career, from Bill Walton to Yao Ming, and Embiid must wait until the 2016-17 season before playing his first game in the NBA.

2014-15

Joel Embiid is entering his rookie season in the NBA, having been drafted with the third-overall pick this June. In his only season at Kansas, he averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.6 blocks in 23 minutes per game through 28 games played. He shot 63 percent from the field on 6.1 attempts per game and 69 percent from the free-throw line on 5.1 attempts per game. Embiid shows strong instincts on both sides of the ball, but his game unpolished in some respects, in part because he has only played organized basketball for three seasons. Offensively, he has shown great talent as a finisher, scoring on 76 percent of his attempts at the rim. Defensively, he is a strong rim protector and won All-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. His biggest weakness is his relatively poor performance when he played against larger big men in college. Embiid is often compared to Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, but due to his struggles to remain healthy, he is also occasionally compared to Greg Oden. Embiid had surgery on his right foot in June, and the earliest projections for recovery would allow him to return to the court in March. In light of how the 76ers handled the recovery of Nerlens Noel last season, it's likely that Embiid will not play at all this season.